Seth finds himself alone at an abandoned train station, with no idea what happened, or how he got there. He boards a train, only to discover it’s a special express transporting the recently deceased to their final destination. The conductor tells him he’s having a near-death experience. Seth wonders if it has something to do with his violent boyfriend, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is getting the hell off the train before he actually dies. But when he spots his best friend and secret crush among the traveling dead, the urge to leave fades…

For a minute, they sat in silence with only the rumbling of the train disturbing the quiet. When it became apparent that Seth wasn’t going to start speaking, Carter asked, “Still want to go on that road trip?”

“Not without you.”

“Mhm… If we could go together?” It wasn’t possible, of course, but Carter wasn’t interested in reality right now. One reason he hadn’t told Seth he was dying was because he’d enjoyed making all those unrealistic plans, after all, and he still did.

“I would go anywhere with you.”

“Yeah?” Carter let go of Seth’s neck and tightened his grip around his shoulder. “Where would you like to go first?”

“Seattle.”

“Why there?”

Seth looked at him with that certain shine in his eyes he got when he talked about technology and space and all that. “The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame,” he said, predictably.

“God, you are such a geek.”

“Geeks rule the world.”

“Yeah? I don’t know about that.”

“It’s true, though! We created the Internet and launched mankind into space. What did zombie fanatics ever do?”

“Uh… we make good movies?”

Seth scoffed. “We have Star Wars and Star Trek and—”

“Aren’t those the same thing?”

“Oh no, you didn’t!”

Carter laughed. He’d rarely seen Seth look so offended. But whatever it was Seth had been worrying about earlier, he wasn’t thinking about it now, and that was a win.

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Seth finds himself at an abandoned train station, when he boards the train, the conductor tells him he is having a near-death experience and that's the reason he's there. He has up until the doors of the train aren't transparent to him, to make a decision to go back or not. He has his suspicions about how he could be near death, but he can't recall anything for sure. Inside the train, sharing his cabin, he finds his best friend and crush, Carter, who apparently died the previous day, something Seth can't remember either.

Carter has been harboring his own crush on Seth for a while, but seeing as Seth had a steady boyfriend, he refused to get in the middle. Then he discovered he had liver cancer and it was a moot point, considering he'd die anyway. The last thing he expected was to have the chance to explore the feelings he has for his best friend, while he races against time to clear the weird mood ring he received upon getting on the train or risk becoming a ghost.

This book was not what I usually read; actually, I wasn't too sure from the blurb what I was getting myself into. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I had never read a book by Ana J. Phoenix, but if all her other books are like this one? Count me in all the way!

This was a fascinating, heart-wrenching, emotional, fantastically written book! Seth and Carter were absolutely lovable and while I wasn't sure how well a story like this could end, I can assure you, you won't be sorry to pick it up. Just stock up on the Kleenex beforehand, because you'll need them! Highly recommendable and a story that will remain with me for a long while!

Rating: 5 Stars!!!

Meet the author:

Ana writes m/m romance and erotica. Her interest in hot guy-on-guy action was first sparked by reading scandalous Japanese mangas. A dirty secret she couldn’t resist. In a long bout of insanity – also known as her life — she decided to learn the language and escape to the land of sushi, sumo, and yaoi.

She’s since moved back to Europe to be with the love of her life – delicious European chocolate.

Now she resides in the sunny part of Germany where she fills her days chasing her dreams and writing about men in complicated relationships. Her family believes she’s writing “erotic manga stories.” She’s pleased they got the erotic part right, at least.